Coding in a Dress: Why Tech Doesn’t Need to Look Like a Hoodie
Let’s talk tech fashion.
Not “what to wear to a Silicon Valley investor pitch” fashion, but real-life, real-women, real-quirky-style fashion.
Because let’s face it—tech’s unofficial uniform has long been the hoodie. (Bonus points for it being slightly stained and paired with ironic socks.)
But, what if I told you that you can debug JavaScript in a floral dress?
That your CSS still works if you’re wearing heels?
That the future of tech is inclusive—and yes, that includes fashion choices that aren’t grey, shapeless, and frayed?
Welcome to the revolution, and spoiler alert: it’s fabulous.
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Hoodies Are Optional, Not Mandatory.
For decades, the stereotype of a “real” coder was a guy in a hoodie, chugging energy drinks, surrounded by LED lights and empty pizza boxes.
Sure, that person exists—but, so does the woman coding in a sundress while sipping oat milk lattes and listening to Madonna.
The problem isn’t the hoodie itself (wear it if you love it!). The problem is when the hoodie becomes a gatekeeper.
When tech starts looking like a members-only club where style, gender expression, or femininity are “distractions” or worse, “not professional enough.”
Spoiler: femininity and intelligence are not mutually exclusive.
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Function Can Meet Fashion.
Wearing a dress, bold lipstick, or dangly earrings doesn’t short-circuit your logic board.
It doesn’t make your algorithms less efficient or your code less clean.
It just means you’re showing up as your full self—and that is powerful.
Let’s normalize women in tech looking however the heck they want.
Feminine.
Androgynous.
Casual.
Corporate.
Rainbow unicorn chic.
As long as you’re writing code that works, who cares if you did it in ballet flats or combat boots?
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Culture Shift: More Than Dress Codes.
This isn’t just about clothes.
It’s about making room for different kinds of people and different kinds of brilliance in the tech space.
When we tell girls they can be anything, we need to mean it—even if “anything” shows up with glitter eyeliner and a mechanical keyboard in pastel pink.
We change tech culture not just by what we build, but by who we are while building it.
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A New Look for a New Tech.
So yes, TechSheThink codes in a dress.
And so should you if you feel like it. And so do thousands of women redefining what a techie looks like—one swipe of red lipstick and one brilliant idea at a time.
Let’s retire the hoodie stereotype (or at least give it some competition).
Let’s make space for more color, more style, more you. Because the future of tech should be as diverse, expressive, and bold as the women shaping it.
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Call to Action:
Want to join the style-positive tech revolution? Share your coding outfit with #CodingInADress and tag @TechSheThink.
Let’s show the world that tech’s new look is whatever we want it to be.
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